Cross cultural pollination: Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart

We Believe in an All-American Oneness

People often export their beliefs and behaviors onto others because of their looks. ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’ is one way of saying it, but how we either shun or accept others, especially if they are in a leadership position, clues us into our belief systems.

Like DNA, we know through our family trees that we all come from everywhere — some of us more than others. Almost all American families start in other countries, often on different continents, so we’re overdue for a perspective change on how we judge each other, which shares DNA with a behavioral change. We often determine a person’s code of conduct based on their appearance which dovetails into the current cultural moment. I experience this personally when I travel, especially at airports. Since the 9/11 attacks, my looks have become a security risk (in some people’s eyes) and I have to submit to additional ‘random’ bag searches. I know all ethnically diverse people are thinking, “Um, yeah, I can’t even go for a run or drive down the road without feeling denigrated or hyped up in fear!” And that’s my point. Besides, randomness really isn’t random as described through the law of large numbers and chaos theory as part of the systems on our planet. We all have our own ability to either go with the status quo or find our own way of believing without fear.

Some people aren’t sure where I come from when they look at me and need to know, others are ashamed to ask. I call it being ethnically ambiguous, which is fun for me most of the time. If I am a 5’-4” tall woman with dark curly hair and olive skin, I must be Syrian, no wait, Egyptian, or maybe Indian, perhaps Jewish or mixed race? It have fielded all those questions and it depends on the person asking me. They often look sheepish when they ask, but I feel the same when I respond because I wish I were! It would give me a better story and because I enjoy all of those cultures and wish I could connect in that way. Instead, I am Italian (which is what they see), but I’m also German, Lithuanian, and a dash of English. That dash must be where I get my love of Jane Austen novels from. Though I do like most Italian food, I can’t eat it because I’m intolerant to gluten, does that make me less Italian? Or maybe more American because that is where my roots really are — in the American Midwest.

I get a kick out of people’s response when they ask me where I’m from and I say, “Ohio.” I know my home state gets a bad rap, but there are weird people everywhere, which I count as a good thing. Austin, Texas has the slogan ‘Keep Austin Weird’ so maybe the culture of cool that it exudes will find its way to Ohio. Clearly I don’t look like what people think Ohioans should look like… which is odd because we are a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic country and Ohio has as many as New York City. But growing up was difficult as I felt pushed into a forced perspective on how my ethnic origins impacted my outward authority. If I am considered ‘white’ but I’m treated as non-white, what do I do about how people perceive me and how does that work in the work place? It’s all in how you look at it doesn’t even cover it because we expect others to treat us how we feel, but instead they judge a book by its cover — in this case a spicy American tune, through the all-American song book. There is a stand-up comedian who said he feels as “American as apple pie” with Mexican roots, but people only see him from one point of view. Looking back as an adult, I’m quite sure there were parents of friends who treated me the same way, which threw me for a loop when I first realized it. Perception is everything, but it can also create illusion.

The current cultural moment has me second-guessing my ability to move about the cabin as I try to plan summer vacation. Is it ok for me to fly, or is it safe for me and my kids to cross the northern border? Many people just go anyway despite how they know they are perceived, but as a CPTSD* survivor, I don’t know if my nervous system can handle it and I’m caught in the up-and-down energy of what to do. I think it’s important for everyone to understand that we all have our ups and downs, some of us more than others, so treating each other with dignity and respect is the best way to keep things secure.

*The ‘c’ stands for ‘complex’ and is a better description for those who have survived long-term trauma.

Leading With Style

If we are a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic country, why do we keep following leaders that don’t reflect it? President Obama was a bright light in that sense, for sure, but many people looked at him and didn’t see themselves so they lashed out in fear. Odd, though, because I’m sure many of those people also enjoy sports and music from black Americans that the creative industry is replete with, including Snoop Dogg, a cultural icon. Why is Snoop Dogg accepted but President Obama not for some people? Is it the amount of pot Snoop Dogg smokes? Is it because it’s ok for him to sell things to us, but not lead us? I think he is leading in his own way. He turned over a new leaf when he realized the music he was making was denigrating towards women. Like Malcolm X, he was able to see his own behaviors, change his way of thinking and then change his ability to perceive. He is now more relevant than ever.

Snoop Dogg for president? Well, he’s a businessman, maybe we should give him a try! He could pass the joint around to uptight politicians and tell them to chill out. Pass the bud instead of the bombs. Just kidding, it should be Martha Stewart because she has the creative power to organize and throw a good party. You may remember what happened to her and her multi-billion dollar company in 2004 when she was marked as someone who needed to be ‘taken down a peg or two,’ as they say, but it was proven beyond doubt that she did nothing wrong. And now male billionaires complain about compensating their employees like they’re the ones being put upon. Like all of us who have been marked as someone different, Martha Stewart suffered the consequences of other people’s actions. Yes, she came from the ‘wealthy’ Northeast, but followed the American dream to become her own person and entrepreneur. Some people didn’t like that, still don’t as they portray her as a bitchy white woman who always gets her way, but if she were male, she would be venerated as a success. She is a success and finds her own way of doing things, as she always did.* Many people follow her now on social media because she deserves her place in history. It was her undoing that was her pivot point, as many of us have experienced, which required her to let go of her financial success story. After she did, she met Snoop Dogg at a public event that was another pivot point for her, this time in the direction of joy. They were enamored with each other and became business partners, despite the 30-year age difference. They enjoy each other’s cultures, point out their differences, but still find time to joke around and be with each other in security. They know they come from different worlds, but they also see the sameness, the oneness, perhaps. I may be exporting my own beliefs onto them in this instance, but for a white female from the Northeast to become from friends with a black male from Southern California — and thrive because of it — I think I’m pretty close to the mark.

*Her story can be viewed on the Netflix documentary, but look beyond the one-point perspective you’re given.